How AI will Cope with Workforce Shortage and Financial Woes

As the healthcare sector continues to face challenges, administrators, executives, and decision-makers are dealing with a variety of issues that impact their ability to provide quality care to patients. From growing administrative duties and related physician burnout to escalating healthcare costs and shifts in patient demographics, these issues are affecting healthcare systems across the nation, threatening their long-term survival. According to the American College of Healthcare Executives' annual survey, hospital CEOs ranked workforce difficulties and financial matters as their main concerns for 2023.

Among the workforce challenges facing the sector, staff shortages and physician burnout are the most pressing concerns for executives. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics estimates that approximately 500,000 healthcare providers have left the industry since February 2020, with many citing burnout and stress from the pandemic as key reasons. Furthermore, 30% of remaining healthcare providers have considered leaving the profession, a statistic that is of great concern for the executives. Although COVID-19 has certainly amplified these issues, the pandemic's impact on the clinical workforce is only the beginning. The truth is that these trends have been developing for some time, with providers feeling overworked, exhausted, and inadequately compensated for their efforts.

The root of these issues lies in administrative tasks, particularly medical documentation, which has burdened U.S. physicians since the implementation of HITECH and Meaningful Use. In 2022, MedScape reported that 47% of physicians experienced burnout, with 60% citing administrative tasks as the primary cause. Physicians have stated that medical documentation and reimbursement models based on patient volume take away from their time with patients and significantly intrude on their personal lives after hours. In total, it is estimated that U.S. physicians spend more than 125 million hours annually on documentation.

The effects of medical documentation are far-reaching, with serious consequences for both providers and patients. As MedScape’s surveys on physician burnout and well-being show, the rates of depression, anxiety, and suicidal thoughts have only risen. With an overwhelming administrative load, burned-out physicians are more prone to making mistakes, providing less effective care, and leaving patients dissatisfied. When these physicians leave their positions, hospitals become understaffed, and the remaining staff must take on additional workloads, leading to even worse outcomes. Wait times increase, facilities become overcrowded, and care becomes less personal. In short, when doctors suffer, both hospitals and their patients suffer.

Adding to the strain, financial difficulties such as rising staff costs, supply expenses, care overhead, and decreased reimbursements due to federal Medicare and Medicaid cuts are stretching hospitals even further. As a result, hospital CEOs and decision-makers are forced to make tough choices, such as reducing staff or services to stay financially afloat or increasing the volume of patients in fee-for-service models, which ultimately harms clinicians in the long run. These financial struggles are impacting the healthcare system, leading to reduced access to care, lower patient satisfaction, and potentially poorer patient outcomes.

Healthcare executives thus find themselves in a difficult position. To maintain financial stability amid inflation, rising costs, and reduced reimbursements, they need a workforce that is willing to maximize billing opportunities and revenue. However, most data shows that high-volume care models are creating a huge administrative burden that weakens the clinical workforce and threatens the foundation of the healthcare system. This conflicting situation is exactly what is worrying executives. It is clear that healthcare organizations must find more sustainable solutions that ensure quality care while keeping clinicians satisfied and their operations stable. However, discovering and implementing these solutions is no simple task.

Reforming volume-based care models, changing documentation and reimbursement systems, and persuading policymakers to reverse federal cuts won’t happen quickly. Hospital CEOs and decision-makers must act swiftly and utilize the most accessible tool available: Technology. In particular, artificial intelligence.

The Rise of AI

In the past decade, AI has shifted from a concept in science fiction to a practical technology that is increasingly influencing everyday activities. The healthcare industry has also begun incorporating AI in various settings.

AI encompasses technologies like natural language processing, deep learning, context-aware computing, and robotics. When paired with analytics, AI can significantly assist in processing health data, offering a powerful tool for supporting decision-making in healthcare. Unlike traditional analytics, which relies on fixed programs, AI has the ability to learn independently by analyzing past data.

The primary goal of AI is to replicate human cognitive abilities. There are already many applications in healthcare, including automating administrative duties, aiding in clinical decision-making, improving medical imaging, developing drugs, and powering surgical robots. In advanced nations, AI adoption is accelerating with goals focused on reducing costs and improving healthcare outcomes. While many countries are still in the early stages of AI integration, the slower pace in emerging economies is often due to a lack of digitized health data. However, the use of AI is predicted to rise significantly. A recent report estimates the healthcare AI market will expand from US$2.1 billion in 2018 to US$36.1 billion by 2025, with an annual growth rate of 50.2%.

AI in healthcare is not a new concept, but rapid advancements have been made recently. This progress is partly due to developments in big data analysis and increased access to healthcare data. When coupled with machine learning methods, AI has the potential to enhance various areas of healthcare.

AI to the Rescue

AI is likely to alter the way healthcare providers work and may even change the doctor-patient relationship significantly. As automation becomes more widespread, there is growing optimism about its benefits, but also concerns about how increasing productivity driven by AI could lead to job reductions in healthcare. Although there are uncertainties about how AI will be adopted in the future, there is evidence suggesting that AI could help improve provider performance, leading to more efficient, effective, and high-quality care.

Productivity

AI is already being applied in several areas, including administrative tasks, analyzing health records, creating treatment plans, and providing consultations. By automating repetitive tasks, AI can make processes quicker and more efficient, giving healthcare providers more time to focus on the clinical aspects of patient care.

Additionally, AI helps healthcare professionals manage the care of more patients. For example, AI tools in nursing have been shown to boost productivity by 30-50%. Combining human intelligence with AI, often called "augmented intelligence," is viewed as a promising approach to achieve the core goals of healthcare.

Teamwork

Collaboration is a key component of modern healthcare, requiring providers to work together in teams. This calls for strong communication to facilitate shared decision-making, coordinated efforts, and progress evaluation. AI has the ability to consolidate data from various sources, both structured and unstructured, making it easier for healthcare professionals to access consistent patient information across different settings and disciplines.

Some AI applications, like chatbots, have been used to streamline appointment scheduling, send reminders, and notify providers about patients' conditions based on symptoms. 

Workload Reduction

High workloads are a known cause of stress among healthcare workers and can negatively affect the quality of care and patient outcomes. Previous studies have shown that administrative duties significantly add to the workload and time pressures of healthcare professionals. For example, physicians in outpatient settings spend 49% of their time on tasks like managing electronic health records (EHR) and desk work, compared to just 33% on direct patient care.

AI has the potential to greatly reduce administrative burdens by auto-filling data fields, pulling relevant information from previous records, and transcribing patient encounters through Ambient AI Medical Scribes. One report suggests that using voice-to-text technology could save doctors 17% of their work time and nurses 51% of theirs.

Tech giants like Amazon are developing machine learning services aimed at extracting meaningful data from unstructured EHR data and free-text notes. Amazon Comprehend Medical makes it easier to analyze unstructured health data and identify key clinical terms, such as diagnoses, medications, symptoms, treatments, and interactions with healthcare providers.

Performance

AI has the potential to enhance diagnostic accuracy and treatment outcomes while reducing errors. In the fields of medical imaging and diagnostics, AI has expanded significantly, with deep learning techniques helping to reduce diagnostic mistakes and improve test results. For instance, AI has shown promise in evaluating medical images to detect conditions like cancer and diabetic retinopathy.

Healthcare providers are increasingly integrating AI into their daily operations to extract valuable insights from the growing volume of clinical data, reducing patient risks. AI is also being used to automatically review clinical documents for quality reporting or to assist with diagnosis coding. Some AI tools have even been combined with existing technologies to prevent medical errors. For instance, startups like MedAware are integrating AI with EHR systems to prevent prescription mistakes.

Additionally, machine learning technologies from companies like Google (DeepMind) and IBM (Watson) are exploring AI-powered surgical robots, which could improve precision, minimize damage, and speed up recovery times.

Satisfaction

Making informed decisions in healthcare requires gathering, organizing, and interpreting vast amounts of data. Due to the complexity and size of this data, healthcare providers can only work with a subset. For instance, when diagnosing and treating cancer patients, only about 20% of the available clinical trial data is utilized. AI technologies can help process larger datasets, uncover new insights, and improve healthcare quality. 

AI can also improve the healthcare experience for patients with chronic conditions, helping them stay informed about their health and remain in touch with care providers. For example, AI-powered home health monitoring systems could help elderly or frail individuals maintain communication with healthcare professionals and ensure they receive timely care. Similarly, patients with conditions like diabetes or hypertension could benefit from AI-powered devices that allow them to monitor their health at home, which extends care outside of office hours and encourages self-management.

Final Thoughts 

AI is becoming increasingly common in our everyday lives, and the healthcare sector is no different. As AI technology advances, it is expected to significantly impact the healthcare industry. Its integration will help in the delivery of healthcare, making processes more efficient and improving the quality of specific services, which will ultimately result in more care being provided. Although AI holds great promise for tackling key health issues, its effectiveness may be limited by the quality and availability of health data, as well as its inability to replicate certain human traits.

AI can support healthcare professionals in making better clinical decisions by recognizing patterns, and it can also empower patients to manage their health more actively. By automating routine tasks, AI frees up healthcare workers to concentrate on more complex tasks and patient care. With its vast potential, AI can increase productivity, enhance quality and efficiency, and contribute to greater satisfaction for both providers and patients.

SOAPsuds AI Medical Scribe

SOAPsuds is an AI-powered medical scribe that uses natural language processing (NLP) to capture medical information from regular conversations between patients and healthcare providers, automatically generating detailed clinical notes. SOAPsuds’ AI technology is specifically designed to reduce physician burnout and address workforce shortages by cutting down the time and effort spent on medical documentation. By automating the documentation process, SOAPsuds frees clinicians from the burden of electronic health records and other administrative tasks, enabling them to focus more on patient care. This, in turn, improves clinician well-being, reduces burnout, minimizes medical errors, and enhances patient satisfaction and the overall quality of care.

By leveraging SOAPsuds AI Medical Scribe, clinicians can simplify administrative tasks, improve operational efficiency, and lower costs and overhead.

In conclusion, by offering an effective solution for medical documentation, SOAPsuds’ AI system addresses many of the concerns that have physicians worried. With SOAPsuds, healthcare providers can significantly improve physician well-being, boost revenue, and remain financially stable while delivering high-quality care to patients.

To find out more about how SOAPsuds can benefit your practice, contact us.